Summer '96
by lobelia07
Summary: Summer after Harry's fifth year of Hogwarts. After losing his Godfather and almost dying again, Harry decides that he could use a little vacation with his friends.... This is before HBP ... little to no spoilers.
1. Default Chapter

Summer '96

Harry Potter gazed dismally out of his second story window on Privet Drive. It had been two weeks since his departure from Hogwarts and, though conditions with his relatives had improved greatly following the incident at Kings Cross, Harry had never been in worse turmoil or misery.

He couldn't stop thinking about that veil. It constantly fluttered through his dreams at night, along with visions of that uncomprehending expression his Godfather's face had worn as he fell through the black curtain. His stomach was often twisted into a knot of guilt and loneliness. Harry did feel slightly uncomfortable around his friends now, but he was beginning to miss their company.

"I wish it could be like it used to be Hedwig," Harry muttered absently while stroking the owl's snowy white head, "when Voldemort was barely alive and there wasn't so much to worry about. Now it feels like everything's falling apart, even my friendship with Ron and Hermione."

Harry reached across his desk and picked up the old photo album Hagrid had given him in first year. He sat on his bed and opened the book, flipping through the pages filled with pictures of his smiling parents. "_They were so happy," _he thought, I_ don't think I remember what it's like to be that happy."_

"That's it," Harry spoke out loud, reaching a decision. "I need a break."

He closed the book and looked at his clock. Almost midnight. He would write Ron tomorrow ... then they would work out a plan.


	2. OWL Results

Summer '96

Chapter 2

_Dear Ron, _

_I've been thinking about something lately. I can't say much in a letter, for obvious reasons, but I will say one thing ...vacation. We need to meet, Hermione too. It will have to be as secret as possible...we really need to talk. Can you write Hermione and see if she has any ideas? _

_Hope to see you soon, _

_Harry_

Harry finished the letter and attached it to Hedwig's outstretched leg. "Just be careful," he said. "This letter can't fall into the wrong hands."

Hedwig nipped his finger in her usual affectionate and reassuring way, and then took off through the open window into the beautiful sunrise. No sooner had she disappeared into the distance when Harry spotted a new owl flying his way. It landed on his window sill and dropped an official looking envelope in front of him before taking flight once more.

Harry realized what it was immediately and, hardly even glancing at the writing on the envelope, he tore it open. O.W.L. results. He skipped over the introduction from some member of the Wizarding Examinations Authority and jumped right to his scores.

A grin spread slowly over his face when he saw his predicted score of Outstanding in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Not bad in Charms and Transfiguration either, with a steady Exceeds Expectations for both subjects. Dreadful in both History of Magic and Divination, he had expected that, Acceptable in Astronomy, Exceeds Expectations in Herbology, and Outstanding in Care of Magical Creatures.

Harry's heart suddenly sunk to the pit of his stomach and the grin vanished from his face at the sight of his next score. Exceeds Expectations in Potions. He had been so close. How would he become an Auror now? Snape only accepted students with an Outstanding Potions O.W.L. into his class, and if he couldn't take his class, then there was simply no way....

"_Professor McGonagall," _he thought suddenly remember a conversation he had had with his professor earlier this year. _"She said she would help me to become an Auror if it was the last thing she did. I'll just ask her about it at the start of term. It _is_ still possible."_

With this comforting thought, Harry folded up the letter, put it on his desk, and, with a fleeting glance at Hedwig's empty cage, headed downstairs for breakfast.

* * *

A/N Hey I know the first two chapters are really short and a little slow, but hopefully I'll be able to make the third chapter longer, and finally get into the vacation planning. By the way, anyone got any ideas of where I can send these people???

Please review on your way out!

_Thanx to chibichibi386 and Saphire Starlet for your reviews! I luv 'em!_


	3. A Meeting

Disclaimer: I don't own, it's all 'cause of Mrs. Rowling!

Summer '96

Chapter 3

Two days later, a tapping on his window broke Harry's concentration as he attempted to close his mind before going to bed. Just last night he had decided to take up Occlumency again; he just couldn't stand to think that Voldemort was lurking somewhere inside of him, looking for weaknesses....

"Hedwig," Harry sighed, relieved at the sight of the owl perched outside his window and, of course, at the letter she was carrying. He opened the window to let her in, and then took the letter before she flew over to her cage for a sip of water.

_Harry-_

_Sorry it took me so long to respond, I just couldn't think of any ideas at first. I've made plans with Fred and George to visit their joke shop tomorrow with Hermione. They said we could use the fireplace there to get to that Figg lady's house in your neighborhood. She's supposed to be with the Order tomorrow for a meeting so everything should be good to go. Just meet us in front of her house around noon. I hope you don't mind me telling Fred and George, but I had to in order to form a solid plan. Can't wait to talk to you tomorrow (this cryptic letter crap is getting on my nerves). _

_Till then, _

_Ron_

Harry couldn't believe the relief and excitement that flooded through him as he finished reading Ron's reply. He needed to see his friends; for almost three weeks now he had been left alone with a guilty conscience and endless nightmares. He wondered suddenly how his friends would take to his recent idea. _"Guess I'll find out tomorrow...."_

Harry woke early the next morning, just as a pale light was forming on the horizon to the east. The neighborhood was silent and still and a soft mist hung low in the air.

He got dressed quickly, even though he knew that he had a lot of time to spare before noon rolled around. Then, moving onto the upstairs landing silently so as not to wake his aunt and uncle, he headed downstairs into the empty kitchen.

Grabbing a quick piece of toast, he left Number 4 and made his way towards the park. No one would care if he wasn't around when they woke up ... he was sure of that. He hardly ever talked to the Dursleys anymore and had started avoiding them at all costs.

Once he reached the park, he plopped down in one of the swings and amused himself for a while by slowly digging shapes and holes in the sand with the toe of his shoe. Time seemed to snail by, but pretty soon he began to see signs of life; people walking their dogs and children playing in their front yards before it got too hot.

As it got closer to noon, Harry began the short walk to Mrs. Figg's house where he sat down on her porch to wait. Before long, the front door opened behind him. Harry had barely enough time to feel a jolt of surprise before Hermione practically smothered him with a hug.

"Er, Hermione," Harry gasped, "I'm really glad to see you and everything, but it's only been three weeks, you can calm down now."

"Right, sorry," said Hermione breathlessly. "I'm just glad to see you again."

"That goes for me too," said a voice from the doorway. As Hermione moved to sit next to Harry, he was able to see his other best friend, whose freckled face carried a wide smile.

"You don't mind if I don't hug you, do you?" Ron asked.

"Nah, I think I'll be alright," Harry replied with a grin. "It's great to see you guys. I've been miserable so far this summer. We should probably walk somewhere else though, or the neighbors will start to get suspicious."

They agreed, and Harry led them down the street towards one of his usual hideouts. This one was an area behind the park secluded by a number of trees and a few of those enormous, ornamental rocks. On the way, Ron and Hermione updated Harry on everything going on with them. Ron said there didn't seem to be anything new going on with the Order lately. Of course, he wouldn't really know because, so far, he'd been spending the summer at The Burrow and his parents wouldn't tell him or Ginny anything that went on in the meetings.

Fred and George now had their own place above the joke shop which was obviously doing well. Even Hermione admitted their products to be amazing, although slightly dangerous.

"And Fred and George said to say hello," Ron told Harry. "They've sent some products with me to give to you. I know there's some Canary Creams and at least four packages of their Skiving Snackboxes." He took a bag out of the book bag that Hermione had brought along and handed it to Harry.

"Great. I'll have to thank them later," he said.

They reached the shade of the trees and sat down on a couple good sized rocks. Hermione passed out some sandwiches for lunch and immediately, it seemed, asked Harry about what he had meant in the letter he'd sent to Ron.

"Well," Harry began, "I meant that we should go on a vacation ... get away from all the drama for a while. I know it seems reckless," he added quickly, after seeing the look on Hermione's face. "I mean, we're in a war and the most powerful wizard in the world, apart from Dumbledore, wants me dead. But that's just it; I need to be able to not worry for a while ... we all do. Our lives have been turned upside over the past couple of years. I just want to take a break and bring some sense of normality back into my life."

Neither Ron nor Hermione said anything for a moment. Harry was trying desperately to decipher the expressions on their faces. Hermione seemed to be deep in thought for a minute before she suddenly looked up at him and said, "You're right."

Both Harry and Ron looked at her in awe. Was this really Hermione?

"I know I wouldn't usually agree right away to something like this, especially when it's such a dangerous time to do it," she said, "but that night in the Ministry of Magic made me realize something ... we _could_ die during this war. Personally, I don't want to die until I've lived a little more first. I'm in Harry."

A grateful smile crept over Harry's face and both he and Hermione turned to Ron for his answer. He looked at them both, then, with a smile, said, "Where to?"

* * *

A/N- Okay, how was it??? If you've read it, please review! Just a hint, I like them.

Oh yeah! And I still need ideas for a vacation location!


	4. An Unexpected Companion

Disclaimer- I don't own!

Summer '96

Chapter 4

Two hours later, the trio finally completed their plans and headed back to Mrs. Figg's house so Ron and Hermione could get back before the meeting at Number 12 was finished.

They had decided that the best time to leave for their risky vacation would be the day after tomorrow, which, according to Ron, was the date of another important meeting. Apparently, Snape was due back from one of his secret missions and had news about "things," as Mrs. Weasley had put it when telling Ron.

Hermione seemed a bit uneasy that no one in the wizarding world would know of their whereabouts, but Harry quickly assured her that Fred and George would have to be informed.

"We're going to need magic to get us out of here," he had said. "Fred and George can make us a portkey so we don't have to break a school rule by using magic during the summer. Oh, and Ron, you can just tell your mum that you're going to stay at Fred's and George's for a few days, that way she doesn't suspect anything."

They had then planned that Hermione would tell her parents that she was going to spend a few days at the Burrow so that she could visit with Ginny. Harry was the hardest to plan an alibi for. What could he possibly tell the Dursleys that they would buy into?

Hermione was the one who finally came up with an acceptable explanation. He would tell them that he had to go on a short trip for a while with a group of people from his school to go around London and pick up trash. The Dursleys would most likely not object to anything that put Harry to work. He would also throw in that this group would pick him up at a nearby bus stop, that way the Dursleys wouldn't have to put themselves out _too_ much.

Little Miss Thinks-of-Everything then brought up the subject of money. They would have to stay somewhere and, for that, they definitely needed money. Not to mention, if they were planning to visit a totally different country, they would have to have the right form of muggle currency. The three each chipped in some wizard gold (Harry donating the most) and Hermione said that she could exchange it for whatever currency of the country they decided on once she got back to Diagon Alley. This brought them to their final decision; where to go? In the end, after numerous unhelpful discussions, Harry and Ron entrusted the decision to Hermione.

"You're handling the money anyway, "Harry said. "You should be the one to figure out the location. Just nowhere near here, please."

"Yeah, and nowhere too boring either," said Ron. "If I'm going to risk my life by sneaking off without telling Mum, I want it to be well worth it."

When they had reached Mrs. Figg's front door, Hermione still hadn't come to a decision about their destination.

"How about you just decide later and it'll be a surprise or something," Harry suggested, not willing to sit there all day waiting for her to make up her mind.

Hermione agreed, and she and Ron were about to slip inside the house when Harry added, "Hey, do you think you could ask one of the twins to apparate here tomorrow night?"

"Sure, why?" Asked Ron.

"Well, I was hoping that they wouldn't mind hanging onto my Hogwarts stuff for a while. There's no way I'm going to leave my Firebolt alone with the Dursleys for this long."

Ron grinned comprehendingly and said, "I'm sure they'll be fine with it."

"We don't even know for sure if they'll be fine with any of this," said Hermione seriously. "I mean, we can't just assume that they'll be fine with doing all this sneaking around for us."

"Hermione," Ron began, "you may be right about a lot of things, but evidently six years has taught you nothing about my brothers."

* * *

Ron, it transpired, had been right about that. At around one in the morning the day that they had scheduled to leave, Fred apparated into Harry's room, a proud grin on his face. Harry heard Uncle Vernon stir in his sleep when the _crack _of Fred's apparation sounded, but soon after there was a much welcomed snore.

"_Excellent _Harry," Fred whispered. "We were wondering if you were ever going to do something for yourself."

Harry smiled. "It's great to see you Fred."

"You too mate," said Fred. "Now, what all did you want me to take?"

"Well, Hedwig can just fly to your place," he began thoughtfully, "so all I _really_ need you to bring is my trunk … if it's not too much trouble."

"Oh _no_ Harry, this thing's as light as a feather!" Fred said sarcastically as he heaved the trunk into his arms.

Harry chose to ignore Fred's sarcasm and asked, "So everything's set right? No problems?"

"Nope," said Fred. "Everything's going as you guys planned it. George and I have made the portkey. You're just lucky that that was part of the small bit of knowledge that we retained from last year."

"So Hermione finally made up her mind then?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, but I'm not supposed to tell you. It's a 'surprise' you know. So, I'll see you in a few more hours then … in Figg's house?"

"At eight," Harry confirmed. "Ron said that the meeting is due to start at six … some big thing with Snape apparently."

"Slimy git," muttered Fred. "Anyway, I better get going. I'll see you then."

"Alright. By the way, Fred, thanks," said Harry gratefully.

"No problem; anything I can do to help a fellow mischief-maker."

And as Fred readjusted the trunk into a more comfortable position for travel, he added, "Oh, and Harry, thank _you. _This is a perfect way to make sure Ron doesn't get too caught up in his role as _prefect. _One more rule left unbroken and we'd have another Percy on our hands."

With that being said, Harry watched as Fred vanished with another _crack, _trunk and all. As Uncle Vernon grunted slightly in his sleep, Harry opened Hedwig's cage and released her into the night. He watched her soar out of sight, a ghost against the soft, starry, sky.

* * *

A few hours later, Harry found himself sitting in Mrs. Figg's living room, the all too familiar scent of cats filling his nostrils. He had had no trouble with his aunt and uncle at all. They completely bought the lie that Hermione had constructed for him to tell, and hardly acknowledged his leaving that morning.

Just five minutes after he arrived, the fireplace across the room erupted into emerald flames. One by one, he watched as his friends appeared in the grate and emerged from the flames to greet him.

Hermione looked slightly apprehensive, yet she also positively glowed with excitement. Ron greeted him with his usual, freckle-faced smile and stood back to make room for Fred and George as they moved past him into the center of the room.

"Hey Harry," said George. "You like the products we sent for you?"

"Loved 'em. In fact, I think I _accidentally_ left one of your Canary Creams on the counter before I left," Harry laughed. "I don't think Aunt Petunia will be too pleased when Dudley molts all over her clean floor."

The twins and Ron broke out laughing while Hermione said, "Can we _please_ get to business?"

"Right," said Fred, still recovering from his bout of laughter, "well, the portkey is set to leave at 8:30, so you still have a few minutes. It'll bring you back whenever you want, but that better be before Sunday, because Mum is expecting Ron and Ginny back by then."

"Ginny?" Harry asked quickly.

Ron sighed and said, "Yeah, Mum sent her to Fred's and George's this morning. She didn't want her to be bored and alone all day while she and Dad were at the meeting."

As Ron rolled his eyes, Fred added, "But she doesn't know anything, not yet anyway. We'll have to tell her when we show up without Ron and Hermione. Right now she's out cold on the couch. Mum sent her over at 5:00 and she's completely exhausted."

_Well, at least Ginny won't find out till after we've left, _thought Harry.

"We should get ready," announced Hermione. "It's almost 8:30."

So they each grabbed their bags and moved toward the center of the room where an old frying pan sat waiting on the coffee table. Harry picked it up and held it out for Ron and Hermione to touch.

After a few minutes, Harry glanced up at the clock on the wall just as only fifteen seconds remained. Suddenly, the fireplace behind them all burst into life once more, and before any of them could say anything, before they could even register their astonishment, a hand shot in between Harry and Hermione and landed in the center of the aged pan. As a shock of flaming, red hair whipped Harry in the face, he felt the familiar jerk behind his navel that meant that the portkey was moving. It dragged the trio forward in a rush of color and sound, Ginny Weasley along for the ride….

* * *

A/N- Come on people! I'm still looking for those reviews!!! Maybe I'm not being clear enough … PLEASE REVIEW! Anyway, thanks to those people who have been reviewing, it's greatly appreciated. Hope it's good so far!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer- Just like Phoebe Buffet's shoes would say, "Not mine, not mine."

Author's Note- It's been a long time since I last updated, I know, and I'm sorry to anyone who has wanted to read this. I just had to figure out exactly where I was going to go with this, and even if I was going to continue at all. So to anyone who is still out there, thanks and I hope you enjoy.

Summer '96

Chapter 5

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" shouted Ron once he had gotten up from the cool pavement of the ally they had landed in.

"Ron, shhh," hissed Hermione, "Really, you'll wake everyone up! It's late last night here!"

Ron looked positively livid; he was glaring at his little sister in a way that would probably surprise even Snape.

I heard you talking with Fred and George, and I decided to come," Ginny said simply.

"You're not supposed to be here," replied Ron venomously.

"Like I don't deserve a break too?" Ginny said, her anger flaring up, "I was in the Ministry too! I could've died too! I think I deserve a break just as much as you do, Ron!"

Harry was doing some serious thinking. No, Ginny was _not_ supposed to be here … it wasn't part of the plan. Then again, at least this way they wouldn't run the risk of Ginny telling anyone about their trip out of the country. Not to mention, it would be impossible to send her back without having to go back themselves.

Hermione seemed to be thinking along these lines too, for at the moment when Ron was about to start yelling again, she said, "Look, Ron, it's not like there's anyway we can send her back. Let's just check into our hotel and we can talk more there. Now is not the time or place."

Ron stood there for a moment, his glaring eyes never leaving Ginny's satisfied face, and then he finally said harshly, "Fine."

So Hermione led them down the ally, and across a street, to a massive and beautiful hotel where a sign labeled, _Lion Square_, shown brightly in the darkness of the night.

"Well that's appropriate," said Harry, wanting to break the rather awkward silence that had fallen over them, "seeing as we're all Gryffindors."

Hermione smiled and said, "Yeah, I thought you'd like that."

They entered the near deserted lobby, and Harry couldn't help but laugh at the expressions on Ron and Ginny's faces. Their anger seemed to be replaced with astonishment as they saw some of the many things that made the muggle world go round; vending machines, a computer, and a television. Hermione just rolled her eyes and walked up to the desk to check them all in.

Ron stood watching a soccer game that was playing on the TV. above the desk. As Hermione returned to the group, he said, "I think I _finally_ understand Dean."

They followed Hermione into an elevator across the lobby where Ron looked slightly puzzled for a moment as the doors closed and Hermione pressed one of the buttons on the panel nearby. As the elevator began to move, Ginny gripped the railing as if for dear life and Ron looked like he was going to do a repeat of the slug-vomiting incident in second year.

"Oh _come on_," said Hermione after they had arrived at their floor and were now heading down a narrow hallway, "You've been in lifts before, _and_ you fly on broomsticks fifty feet in the air, and you can't even handle an elevator?"

"Well," began Ron indignantly, "you should've warned us! How were we supposed to know that there were things that, well, _magic-like _in the muggle world?"

"If you had taken muggle studies-"

"Don't even go there, Hermione," said Harry grinning, "It'll never work."

The two stopped their bickering and they all followed Hermione to the end of the hall where a door stood to their right, labeled room 27. Hermione unlocked it, and they soon found themselves standing in a dimly lit entrance way.

No one spoke for a moment, until Harry said, "Well, why are we all just standing here? Let's look around!"

So they spread out in all different directions, Harry heading straight for the closest bedroom. In it he found the biggest bed he'd ever seen, which he supposed wasn't saying much, but it was still something. There was also a large TV. on top of a long dresser against the wall, and a small bathroom through a door to his left.

In the room across the hall there was a set of bunk-beds next to a comfortable looking double-bed, another TV, and another bathroom.

He made his way to the end of the hallway, which opened into a wide living room containing two couches, yet another television, an electric fireplace, and a few lamps, which Ron was now examining curiously. There was a door on the other side of the room that led to a small balcony, and a dining table stood in a far corner next to the kitchen.

Harry fell into one of the couches and began eating some of the complimentary chocolates from the box left on the coffee table. The rest of the group soon joined him and it appeared that Ron's anger had also returned.

"Explain your-self," he said, turning to Ginny.

"Don't take that tone with me, Ron," Ginny said, "I'm only a year younger than you, so don't treat me like I'm a little kid. And I've already told you; I heard you guys talking, and when you left at 8:00, I packed some things and came after you. Come on, Ron, don't you think I deserve a break too?"

"That's not the point," Ron said irritably.

"Of course it is," said Harry abruptly. "Look, Ron, I know we'd just planned for the three of us to go, but Ginny's here, and, like Hermione said, there's no way she can go back. She's been through hell too … we should just drop it and get on with our vacation."

"Fine, whatever, you're right I guess," sighed Ron as Ginny gave Harry a grateful smile. He seemed rather uninclined to argue the subject much with Harry. "Let's get on with it then … where are we anyway?"

Harry was slightly surprised for a moment as he realized that he didn't know where in the world he was. The appearance of Ginny in their plans had plainly wiped the question clean out of his head.

"Vail, Colorado," stated Hermione proudly.

"Colorado?" said Harry, "Isn't that in the states?"

"Yep," Hermione grinned.

"Hermione!" started Ron, clearly exasperated, "You mean to tell me that you brought us to the states and we're not in New York, or L.A., or somewhere _remotely_ interesting?"

"Well, Ron," Hermione flared up indignantly, "if you had even half a brain, you'd realize that we need to be somewhere that's low profile, just in case someone got wind of what we were doing! Not to mention that there are witches and wizards all over the world and every one of them knows about Harry and his story. If we went somewhere with a load of people, like New York, there's a greater chance that someone would recognize him and tell some news reporter who would write a story and get us all caught, or worse. Also, Vail is really very beautiful and we can always take the bus to Denver anytime we want."

"Wow, thought this out, haven't you?" asked Harry.

"Is it okay?" Hermione anxiously asked in return.

"It's fine with me," Harry shrugged, "I'm just glad to be away from home."

Ron had looked like he was about to say something else in protest, but instead he muttered, "I guess it's cool too."

"Good, then let's get to sleep for a few more hours, after all, it _is_ a vacation," said Hermione, clearly satisfied.

* * *

Author's Note- Okay, so I know that Vail, Colorado isn't exactly the party capital of the world, but it's the only place that I really know well enough to actually set the story in. I promise I'll make it interesting! (Oh, and to a friend I know that thought Prongs was a fish, don't criticize unless you plan to write your own story and set it in Vegas or something, lol. See ya later.) 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Thanks to J.K. Rowling for an entangling story with such real characters.

Summer '96

Chapter 6

That night, Harry slept comfortably on the top bunk bed while Ron took the double

bed. They'd worked it out so they would trade off every other night, that way each could

get a chance to have the double. Ginny and Hermione, who were sharing the bed in the

other room, didn't understand why Harry and Ron couldn't just share the double bed, and

were met with disgusted looks as a result of their questioning.

Harry had once again attempted to close his mind before going to sleep. He actually

found it a lot easier than it usually was, like being away from home had lifted some

enormous weight from his shoulders. He could suddenly breathe easier, and it felt

freeing, as if he had nothing to worry about … least of all the fate of the entire wizarding

world. That still didn't prevent him from dreaming of his godfather, however. Haunting

visions of Sirius's last moments drifted through Harry's thoughts, and he awoke with a

start to the dim, half-light of the hotel room.

After glancing around at the room below him, Harry found that Ron was still fast asleep,

him mouth wide open and drooling on his pillow case. He climbed out of bed, knowing

that he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep even if he'd wanted to. He crept silently

across the room toward the door, opened it slowly, and moved down the hallway. The

sliding glass door that led to the balcony had been opened a crack, and Harry thought he

could hear rushing water from somewhere down below. He slid the door open a little

more so that he could squeeze through, and moved out to the edge of the balcony to take

in the scene that lay spread out before him.

It was apparent immediately where the source of the rushing water was. A wide stream

made its way north, traveling swiftly along the base of a massive Rocky Mountain that

jutted out so close, Harry felt he could've reached out and touched it. Although the sun

was only just beginning to creep over the horizon, Harry could still make out the giant

silhouettes of the chair lifts and gondola rides that rose in lines along a treeless area on

the mountain. Looking directly downward, he discovered the hotel pool which, along

with a hot tub and a surrounding area of land, was enclosed by a tall fence on all sides

except for the one leading into the hotel.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Came a voice from behind Harry, startling him. He turned around

and found Hermione, two mugs of tea in her hands, standing in the doorway.

"Yeah," said Harry as she walked over to him and handed him a mug of tea, "it is."

Hermione sat down in one of the chairs set up behind her, and Harry sat beside her,

staring off into the dim sky where a few stars were still shining brightly.

"So," began Hermione, "what are you doing up so early?"

"Couldn't sleep," said Harry.

A flicker of concern seemed to pass through Hermione's eyes and she looked as though she was about to say something. She apparently decided against it, however, and remained silent.

"What are you doing up so early?" Harry asked with a grin, and Hermione's face began to reveal her concealed exasperation.

"Don't even ask," she said. "Ginny has been glued to the television all morning. When I finally got up, she was watching some nutter show called, 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer.' It was completely outrageous, Harry. I mean, you should see how they portray vampires … totally inaccurate."

"Well," said Harry, laughing now, "It is a muggle show, Hermione. I don't think many muggles really know what a vampire looks like. I suppose we could send them a picture of Snape … that'd be more accurate."

Hermione laughed. "You might have a point there."

The conversation lapsed into a comfortable silence, and Harry took the time to breathe in the cool air.

"I can't believe we did this," said Hermione abruptly. "I mean, anything could happen to us…." Harry felt a knot of foreboding building in his stomach. "And yet," Hermione continued thoughtfully, "I love it."

Harry looked at her questioningly.

"You were right, Harry," she said to him. "Too much pressure and chaos have surrounded us – surrounded you – for five years. We need this break. Whatever consequences result from it, I know will be justified with that fact alone."

Harry stared at her for a moment, then looked away, dreading the topic that he was about to drag up. He took a deep breath, knowing that he had to say it now because if he didn't, he probably never would.

"I'm sorry, Hermione."

"For what?" asked Hermione, looking surprised.

"For everything," said Harry. "For not listening to you, for being so naïve-."

"Harry," Hermione interrupted tentatively.

"No. No, Hermione, just listen," stated Harry firmly. "I'm sorry … I'm sorry that I didn't practice harder at Occlumency, that I led you lot into danger, that I almost got you killed, and- and that I did get Sirius killed."

"Harry, no," said Hermione, horrorstruck. "That wasn't your fault-."

"We both know it was," he said quietly. "And it wouldn't even matter if it wasn't. Nothing you say could make me feel any better about it. I just needed you to know that I am sorry, and I'm grateful that you planned out this vacation for us."

He offered her a small smile, and then rose to go back inside. As he walked back down the hallway, he passed Ron who was already in the kitchen, trying to decipher the appliances so he could make breakfast. Even as he reached his room, Harry could still feel Hermione's eyes on him, following him all the way.

* * *

The sun had risen, sparkling, and as it illuminated the needles of thousands of Colorado conifers, the scent of pine had seemed to saturate the air. It had already begun to wash away the early morning shadows, just as four young witches and wizards were beginning to plan out their day.

"But why, Hermione?" said Ron Weasley, utterly exasperated. "What's the point of buying souvenirs if the only other people we can show them to are Fred and George?"

"Who we show them to isn't the point Ron," Hermione said, in an uncharacteristically patient manner. "It's for our own satisfaction … to show that we did do this. Not to mention, that the conversion of Galleons to dollars makes us filthy rich in this country, and it'd be a shame not to spend some of that money."

With this last comment, Hermione left the dining room table, at which they'd all been eating breakfast, and circled around the couch where she had put her bag. To questioning looks from her friends, she reached inside the bag and began pulling out, one by one, several large wads of American money.

Ron goggled at her for a moment then, as he seemingly snapped out of it, he said, "But who will we show this stuff to?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and responded with a sigh, "Fine, Ron. How about we just split up for the morning then? You and Harry can go do whatever, and Ginny and I will go shopping."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," said Ginny, eagerly eyeing the stacks of money.

Harry nodded in agreement as Ron said, "Yeah, alright. Er … so, should we just meet back here for lunch, then?"

"Okay," said Hermione, apparently pleased that they'd finally reached a decision. She began dividing up the money into equal shares, and each of them took a certain amount for the day, and then put the rest in their bags.

"So," said Harry as they left the hotel, "we'll meet back at around noon, right?"

"Yeah," replied Hermione, and she and Ginny started down the street into town. Harry and Ron walked a little further, and then turned down a wide sidewalk that wound around until it ran directly alongside the creek.

"So what are we supposed to do in this place?" asked Ron with apparent boredom.

"Beats me. I suppose we could take up fishing, "said Harry with a laugh as he nodded toward a man standing in the middle of the rushing water, rod in hand.

"Oh, brilliant idea, Harry," replied Ron sarcastically. "That's almost as good as Hermione's, where people slide down mountains on a couple of sticks. Hmm … I would like to spend some of that money, though. I mean, it's pretty rare for me to be, 'filthy rich.'"

"Well, I guess we could give in and buy some souvenirs," said Harry.

"It just doesn't make any sense," Ron sighed, "I tell you, Hermione is completely mental."

"Maybe so," began Harry, "but Hermione never really does anything crazy; I think she just wants something to sort of prove that she did."

"What do you mean she never does anything crazy?" asked Ron incredulously. "She's been doing insane things since first year of Hogwarts."

Harry smiled. "Yeah, but you can't by t-shirts in the Forbidden Forest or the Chamber of Secrets, can you?"

"Nah, I guess not," laughed Ron. "Still, what is she going to do, buy a Vail hat and wear it around Hogwarts? I mean, if Dumbledore found out -."

"Dumbledore is not our parent," interrupted Harry darkly. He was really getting tired of Dumbledore controlling every aspect of his life. Ron merely glanced at him, seemingly taken aback.

"Er, yeah," he said finally. "But still, he could tell my parents, and let's face it, Harry, even though she's not exactly your mother, you'd probably be in a lot of trouble with my mum too."

"I guess that is true," said Harry, smiling. He really didn't mind. In fact, it was kind of nice that Mrs. Weasley had basically assumed the role of his mother.

They had followed the sidewalk all the way down to the back of the hotel, and could now glimpse the pool through the bars of the towering fence.

"Well, what do you reckon? Should we just head into town to have a look around?" Asked Ron, coming to a stop.

"Sure," said Harry, "we still have time to spare before we have to head back to the hotel."

They turned back and made their way slowly up the path that they had just come down. The sun was warm on their backs and Harry could tell that, despite being at this high altitude, it would be relatively hot before long.

As they reached town, Harry found himself in awe of the dazzling colors that first met his eyes. Flowers seemed to be in bloom everywhere, in shades of every color imaginable. They burst out, like tiny fireworks, and the unmistakable scent of summer wafted through the air around them. The shops and restaurants that lined the street seemed to be so bright, as if illuminated by some soft, golden light.

Harry and Ron walked past these, keeping an eye out for Ginny and Hermione as they gazed through countless store windows. They finally discovered Ginny in a souvenir shop that was teeming with t-shirts, hats, magnets, and every other object imaginable, all bearing the word, "Vail."

"Hey!" exclaimed Ginny as they entered the shop and approached her, standing by a rack of key chains. "Money burning a hole in your pockets yet?"

Harry grinned. "Maybe," he said simply.

"Where's Hermione?" Asked Ron, craning his neck to see over the shelves and racks surrounding them as he looked for her.

"I left her in the book shop next door," said Ginny, rolling her eyes. "That girl needs a life … I think she's planning on bringing half the shop home with her." And sure enough, when Hermione joined them five minutes later, it was with a large sack packed with books.

"What?" she asked in response to her friends' amused expressions. "As long as I have the money…."

"Hermione," began Harry, "how're we supposed to get all of this home?"

"It'll be alright, Harry," said Ron, laughing now. "My bag has a charm on it like Dad's old Ford Anglia, everything should fit fine."

The relief shown clearly on Hermione's face as she finally sighed and said, "Well, should we just go to lunch from here, then?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," said Ginny. "I'm starving."

They began to make their way out of the shop when Ron suddenly stopped.

"What is it?" asked Harry.

"Er, just a minute," he said, and to everyone's surprise, he picked up a large, black, Vail sweatshirt.

Grinning, Hermione followed him up to the counter so she could help him with the money. Harry raised an eyebrow as Ron returned, but said nothing.

"It gets cold in the castle during winter," said Ron defensively. "I just though it might be a nice change from Mum's maroon sweaters."

"I didn't say a word, Ron," Harry said with a smile, "didn't say a word."

* * *

Author's note- If this chapter was a little boring, I'm sorry. The next one should be better … I'm really excited about writing it anyway. Reviews are greatly appreciated!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Ah, if only I could be so brilliant. I'd be a lot richer right now, that's for sure. Thanks J.K.

Summer '96

Chapter 7

"Ron Bilius Weasley, give me the remote!" shouted Ginny at her older brother from the couch of their hotel room.

After eating lunch that day at a small café in town, the group had gone out shopping once more, often buying things just for the sake of spending money. They had then taken a gondola ride to the top of the mountain, during which Harry wished repeatedly that he had his Firebolt with him so he could soar above the towering pine trees. When they arrived again at the base of the mountain, Hermione seemed to let out a sigh of relief, and they all returned to the hotel where Ron and Ginny would bicker for the next two hours over what to watch on TV.

"If I hand it to you, you'll just change it to some bloody awful show like, what was it? Oh yeah, _Friends,_"said Ron, carefully making sure that the remote was well out of Ginny's reach. "I don't _care_ how many times Ross and Rachel have broken up, Ginny, I just want to watch a movie!"

"Why don't we just do something else?" suggested Hermione somewhat wearily, before Ginny got the chance to start shouting again.

"Like what?" asked a frustrated Ginny, as she gave up on Ron and reached instead for a slice of the pizza they'd ordered half an hour ago.

"We could play a game," said Ron.

"What game?" Harry asked curiously. He was eager to do something besides listen to the ongoing row between the two siblings.

"It's called Truth or Dare."

"Oh God, Ron," groaned Hermione. "One day in the muggle world and you've already picked up garbage like that?"

"This isn't like that stupid muggle game, Hermione," stated Ron indignantly. "It's an invention of Fred and George's."

"Oh, that's better," Hermione muttered. Ron chose to ignore her and instead launched into an explanation.

"It works like this," he said. "We all take turns asking each other, 'Truth or dare?' just like the muggle version, only, depending on the person's answer, there is a certain tablet to take that insures that the truth or dare in indeed carried out. No lying, no chickening out. It's much more efficient than the muggle way."

"_How_ do they insure that the truth or dare is carried out?" asked Hermione suspiciously.

"Well, the two types of tablets are formed from different potions that basically cause you to do or say what you're told. I think there must be some type of Veritaserum in the truth tablets, and the dare tablets contain a concentration of, well, of the Imperious Curse."

"The Imperious Curse!" exclaimed Hermione. "That's _illegal_, Ron!"

"It's a very low concentration," Ron explained hurriedly. "And anyway, you have to actually state that you're playing the game, or the tablets won't affect you, so no one could slip one in your drink, or something, and tell you what to do. Also, there are limitations caused by the other ingredients in the tablets, that make sure you don't do harm to anyone, and that you don't do anything illegal, like rob a bank."

"What about the truth tablets?" asked Harry. "How do they…?"

"They cause you to reveal the one truth that is asked of you," said Ron, "then they wear off, just like the dare tablets will after the dare has been fulfilled."

"How, in the name of Merlin, did Fred and George only manage to scrape three O.W.L.s each?" said Ginny, sounding impressed.

"So, does that mean we're playing, then?" asked Ron uncertainly.

"I'm in," said Harry.

"Me too," Ginny added with a smile.

Ron turned to Hermione who had not responded. "It's perfectly safe, Hermione," he said. "I mean, Fred and George wouldn't have been able to sell them if they were illegal or dangerous."

Hermione looked up at the pleading expression on Ron's face. "Fine," she breathed, "I'm in too."

"Good," said Ron, grinning.

But as he went to get the tablets from his bag, Harry distinctly heard Hermione mutter softly, "I have a very bad feeling about this…."

* * *

When Ron returned a few seconds later, Hermione's uncertainty had far from vanished, but she seemed determined not to let it show. Harry was slightly apprehensive, but fairly excited as well; it beat just sitting there all day, at any rate.

"Okay," began Ron, "purple are truth, red are dare. The first thing we have to do is state clearly that we're all in the game."

They went around and, one by one, announced their participation, Hermione a little more reluctantly than the rest.

"Alright, who wants to ask first?" questioned Ron.

"Wait," said Hermione. "We are making some ground rules here, aren't we? I mean, nothing horrible or disgusting, right?"

"We're friends, Hermione," Ron sighed. "We're not going to make you do anything too bad. Just calm down."

"I'll go first!" said Ginny eagerly.

"Brilliant, who're you going to ask?" said Ron, grinning.

"Hmm …," Ginny mused thoughtfully. "I think I'll go with … Harry. Truth or dare?"

"Dare," he replied unflinchingly, not wanting to appear too frightened by picking the former.

Ginny grinned mischievously as she handed him a small red tablet. He popped it in his mouth and it immediately dissolved, not even leaving a trace of a taste.

"Okay," said Ginny, "I dare you, er, to … to jump in the pool, wearing only your underwear."

A curious sensation then came over Harry. It wasn't exactly like the Imperious Curse, because his head was quite clear of the weightless, thoughtless feeling that that created. He was able to fully register the embarrassment of the situation, what with Ron laughing hysterically beside him, and yet he still knew what he had to do, what he _would _do. He thought it out for a moment then got up and moved into his and Ron's room where he draped his invisibility cloak (which he'd brought, just in case) over himself after stripping down to his boxers. He then left the hotel room without a word as Ron, Ginny, and Hermione, all laughing, went out to the balcony to get a better view.

Harry met few people as he made his way through the hotel. The sun had gone down at least an hour ago, as well, so there would be no one present at the pool. The sauna was still open, however, and Harry was able to move through it to a door on the other side that opened out onto the pool area.

The heat of the day had long evaporated and a cool breeze now cut through the air, softly rippling the surface of the water. Goosebumps crept over Harry's arms and legs as he neared the edge of the pool's deep end and looked above him to see his three friends crowded onto the small balcony. He let the invisibility cloak fall to the ground in a silvery mass and then, with one, deep, reluctant breath, he dove into the water.

An intense cold encompassed him like a blanket and penetrated his skin with fury. It felt as though he were in the grasp of a dementor … something he would rather not experience at any moment in his life. As his head hit the surface once more, the full reality of what he'd just done came crashing down upon him, and he swam quickly to the water's edge. Shivering madly, he pulled himself up and out of the pool, covered himself again with the invisibility cloak, and ran, flat out, back through the hotel.

"Ginny Weasley, I'm going to curse you into oblivion!" Harry shouted as he re-entered Room 27, five minutes later.

"Hey," Ginny replied defensively while Harry went to dry off and get dressed, "you _wanted_ to play the game…."

"Yeah," said Harry as he emerged from his room at last, "but _come on_! That was horrible!"

"It was actually pretty brilliant, mate," said Ron, still laughing. "Especially when the maintenance guy came out as you were leaving and almost died of shock as your footprints appeared out of nowhere on the pavement."

Hermione looked as though she highly disapproved of this last comment, but she didn't say anything as Harry sat down in front of the couch and smiled in spite of himself.

"Can we just get on with the game now?" sighed Harry.

"Sure," said Ron, "who wants to go next?"

"I'll go," offered Hermione. "Er … Ron. Truth or dare?"

"I think I'll go with truth," Ron smiled. "If you're anything like my sister, that is." He took one of the purple tablets and popped it in his mouth.

"Alright. Why did you really buy that sweatshirt today?"

Harry thought this was a rather odd question to ask. Why waste a perfectly good chance to embarrass her friend by asking such a simple question like that? But then, as he saw her crestfallen expression as Ron stated his desire to prove his participation in the vacation, a thought suddenly struck him.

"Erm …," said Harry, "I think I'll take my turn now."

He turned to Hermione who looked back at him warily. "Truth or dare?" he asked.

She reached for a purple tablet and placed it in her mouth, just as he'd hoped she would.

"Who do you like? As more than just a friend, that is?" Harry asked tentatively.

"Ron," she stated simply. Then, as realization hit her, she clapped a hand to her mouth and gazed around at Ron Weasley who appeared utterly surprised, and yet pleasantly so.

"Oh, God," muttered Hermione, apparently horrified. With an angry glare at Harry, she whispered venomously, "How could you?"

"Er, n-no, Hermione," began Ron, and Hermione's gaze turned back to him. "It's alright." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "See, the thing is, I've sort of _always_ liked you."

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Uh, yeah," he said, his ears turning redder by the second as he glanced at Harry and Ginny who were both smiling at them. "I mean, sure, you can be pretty annoying sometimes, but, er, that's kind of one of the reasons why I like you. Not to mention that you're, well, you're an amazing person who is kind, smart, and who has a wonderful knack for being logical and completely insane at the same time…."

Hermione smiled at him and he cleared his throat gruffly. "Um, but we can probably talk about it later," he said.

She nodded in silent agreement, but Ginny interrupted sweetly, "Oh, don't stop on our account. We don't mind, do we Harry?"

"Of course not," said Harry, laughing slightly.

"Oh, shut up you two," muttered Ron.

"Whatever, it's your turn anyway, lover boy," said Ginny teasingly.

"Fine," Ron sighed. Harry watched as his hand moved up slightly to touch Hermione's for a brief moment before he spoke again. "Harry, truth or dare?"

"What?" Harry yelped. "Come off it, Ginny hasn't even had to go yet."

"I know, I know," said Ron hurriedly, "but I … well, you don't mind, do you Ginny?

"Not at all," said Ginny, giggling at Harry's indignation. "I'm finding watching to be extremely entertaining anyway."

"Fine, truth," Harry muttered, thinking that he at least wouldn't have to jump in the pool again. He took one of the purple tablets, which, once more, dissolved tastelessly in his mouth, and he braced himself for Ron's question.

"What have you been keeping from us since the end of last term?" asked Ron quietly.

Ginny and Hermione glanced at him questioningly as Harry's mind filled with abject horror. He wanted to scream at Ron, to ask him who the hell he thought he was, springing this on him, but all that came spewing from his mouth were the contents of the prophecy in their entirety.

A stunned silence followed his explanation, and as the tablet wore off, he shot a look of purest disgust at his best friend. He got up and began pacing back and forth through the living room.

"Why did you do that?" he said in a tone of forced calm as he finally turned to face Ron.

"Why'd I do it?" Ron repeated dully. "I did it because there was obviously something going on with you, something other than Sirius's death, that you weren't talking about."

"You ever try asking?" said Harry furiously.

"Would you have told me if I did? I mean, you evidently didn't trust any of us enough to tell us before." Ron said, now beginning to match Harry's anger.

"It had nothing to do with trust!" spat Harry. "Although I'm feeling a considerable lack of it at the moment."

"Why d-didn't you tell us, Harry?" asked Hermione, her eyes now overly bright.

Harry turned to her, his expression softening a little. "I don't know, Hermione," he said. "It was just so much to take in and I needed to find some way of dealing with it on my own first."

"We're supposed to be your friends!" Ron burst out angrily. "You should be able to talk to us so we can _help_ you cope!"

"And how would you help me, Ron?" Harry asked. "What could you possibly do – pat my shoulder and offer words of comfort on how murder's really not such a bad way to start my life? Or maybe you'd give me the famed look of pity that makes me feel worse about everything than I already do? No, Ron, I had to figure it out on my own."

"If you'd just explained … I would've understood."

"No you wouldn't have," said Harry. "You're a great friend, Ron, and you've always tried to be there for me, but there are just some things in my life that you can't help with, and that you can't understand. I have always been singled out for something that I don't even remember doing … for something that I never chose to do. You don't get how lonely it is. I mean, you guys are always there, but in the end, I have to face the evil alone."

Ron floundered for a moment, seemingly at a loss for words, then, "But-but you still lied to us. You said the prophecy was broken-."

"_Neville_ said the prophecy was broken. I just didn't bother to correct him," said Harry, surprised at this feeble attempt to pin something on him.

"Oh, real rich, Harry," sneered Ron.

"Just _shut up_ Ron!" shouted Ginny, who had, up till that moment, remained silent.

"What?" asked Ron, glaring at his little sister.

"You heard me," she said, getting to her feet. "I can see where you'd be upset about Harry not telling you the truth but, my God, look at what you just did! We've all known that something's been going on, but at least Hermione and I understood enough not to go pestering him about it. You, however, you went behind his back, and behind our backs. Some game, Ron."

With out another word, she left the room, looking disgusted. Hermione followed soon after, determinedly not looking at either of them.

Harry and Ron stood in silence for a moment, and then Harry, too, turned and left, leaving Ron, speechless and alone.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer- What would I do with my free time if J.K. Rowling hadn't created these magnificent novels…. Well, I guess I might be a little saner in the eyes of my friends.

Author's Note- Sorry I didn't post any author's notes last time … I guess I was just in a hurry to get my chapter up. Anyway, I always appreciate reviews and I thank everyone who has taken the time to post them. Keep them coming if you've got them!

Summer '96

)Chapter 8(

It was to an empty room that Harry awoke from his fitful sleep the next morning. For the merest trace of a moment, he half-believed that the previous night had been yet another bad dream, but reality struck as he realized that Ron had probably spent the night sleeping on the living room couch.

He got up and dressed silently, thinking that he would go out for a quick walk before facing the inevitable continuation of last night's conversation. As he slipped into the hallway, however, he heard a voice behind him, halting his progress toward the door.

"Harry?" through the dim light he could just make out Ginny's small form standing in the doorway to the room that she and Hermione shared.

"Er, yeah?" said Harry.

"Where are you going?" she asked quietly.

"Just out for a bit of fresh air," he said in an offhand sort of way, trying to avoid the awkwardness between them.

"Oh," Ginny sighed.

There was a rather pregnant pause, during which both of them seemed absolutely desperate for something, anything, to say. It was Harry, who first opened his mouth to speak.

"Erm, thank you, Ginny," he muttered. "I mean, for standing up for me last night."

Harry could just see Ginny's slightly sheepish grin as she replied, "Yeah, well, Ron was being a prat. I had to say something."

Although she continued to smile, her bright eyes revealed a sadness that Harry had never noticed there before. Suddenly he realized, that by withholding the contents of the prophecy, he had hurt her too. Maybe not as badly as Ron, but he suspected that Ginny, along with Hermione, must feel slightly betrayed in a way as well.

"I-I'm sorry, Ginny," he said, suddenly overcome with an unexplainable urge to comfort her in some way. "I just-."

"Don't, Harry," Ginny interrupted softly. "I get it. Well, I can't _get it_ obviously, but I understand why you didn't tell us right away."

Harry let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "And-and Hermione?" he asked after a moment.

"I don't think she's mad at you … more shocked than anything, really," said Ginny. She glanced at Harry's slight look of skepticism, then continued, "She's your friend, she'd do anything to help you, and I'm sure she understands. It should be interesting to see how this whole thing with her and Ron works out though, huh?"

Harry gave a small grin, thankful for the change of topic. "Yeah, it should." As an awkward sort of silence settled around them, Harry shifted uncomfortably then said, "Erm, well I should probably get going…."

"Oh yeah, your walk," said Ginny, seemingly with sudden realization. "Okay, well, be careful."

"I will," he assured her as he turned to go. "I'll see you in a few."

"Yeah," Ginny said, and she watched as Harry left the hotel room.

Without a real knowledge of where he was going, Harry gradually made his way downstairs. Although the earliness of the hour provided him with virtually empty corridors, he still spotted a few hotel workers on his way out. The man behind the front desk was chatting animatedly with what looked like a janitor … something about a rumor that the pool was somehow haunted. Harry walked past them, not really registering the conversation, and left through the front doors.

Once outside, he found himself following the same path he and Ron had traveled down the previous day, seeing as he was at least relatively familiar with it. When he arrived at the back of the hotel, he strode down to the bank of the creek where he found a large rock on which to perch himself. The sun had barely risen, but the currents and waves of the water caught its scattered rays, reflecting them back in little sparks of blinding light. Harry closed his eyes relishing, for a moment, the peaceful coolness of nature's version of silence. He was interrupted, however, by the soft thud of footsteps behind him. He knew, before he opened his eyes, who it was as he felt him sit down on the rock beside him.

"Hey," came Ron's hesitant voice.

Harry sighed, bracing himself, and then opened his eyes. "Hey," he said.

"Look, Harry," Ron began somewhat desperately, "I'm sorry for what I did, I just, well, it's just that you've been so distant lately. I mean, you constantly mutter in your sleep, you freak out at the mention of Dumbledore, and well, you never really talk about any of it. Last term ended so horribly and confusingly … you barely talked to anyone, and I guess I just thought that maybe you didn't trust me enough to tell me. I felt like I was losing my best friend."

"And you thought you'd prevent that by tricking me into telling you?" asked Harry, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Okay," said Ron, "granted, it was a really bad idea. Ginny was right, I was way out of line. I just got a little desperate I guess…."

"You think?" Harry said, a slight bitterness beginning to surface inside him. Then, as Ron's face fell, he sighed once more and continued, "Listen, Ron, it's like I told you last night, it had nothing to do with me not trusting you. You are my best friend, and nothing will change that, but, well," Harry paused, struggling to deliberate the point. "I-I guess I was just scared," he said finally. "People are dying, one of the post powerful wizards in the world is tearing apart our lives, and now I find out that I'm the only one who can stop it. I didn't tell you because-because to do so, to say it out loud, would make it real, and absolute. I couldn't deal with that yet. I needed to come to terms with it in my own mind."

A penetrating silence followed this explanation, both wizards looking anywhere but at each other, then, " I am sorry," said Ron quietly and abruptly.

"I know," replied Harry, "I am too." Ron looked at him questioningly. "I'm sorry that I caused you to think that I couldn't rust you. I would trust you with my life, Ron."

Ron didn't say anything to this, but his understanding and his gratitude couldn't have been more apparent. Harry welcomed the absence of any additional words; things were mushy enough as it was. But then, of course, Ron had to say something just as effective.

"You know, I don't care what that prophecy says, Harry. You won't be alone … you have your friends," he said.

And although Harry couldn't take too much comfort in these words, he appreciated them all the same. He smiled, and then got to his feet and stepped down onto the sidewalk.

"We should probably start heading back," he said. "The girls will wonder where we went."

"Yeah, you're probably right," agreed Ron as he followed Harry down from the rock. They began to make their way back to the hotel, the rising sun gilding the tops of the trees. "I think Sirius would be proud," stated Ron abruptly.

"What?" Harry asked, taken aback by the randomness of this comment.

"Of this, of us," said Ron. "I mean, maybe not the destination so much, but you've got to admit, this whole vacation does have a certain reckless marauder quality to it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Harry pensively. Then, as if coming out of a reverie, "What is with you lately? You're getting all deep and emotional," he added smiling.

"Me, deep?" asked Ron, laughing at the very idea.

"Either that, or you're just really full of it."

"I'd go with, 'full of it,' before I went with, 'deep,' Harry," said Ron.

There was a considerable amount more people moving about the hotel when they re-entered a few moments later; mainly guests, jostling their way up to the front desk to be checked in or checked out. Harry and Ron pushed through, forming a path to the elevator, and had soon gained the peace and quiet of the shaft as they continued toward their room. A sudden thought occurred to Harry, though, as the elevator moved upward.

"Ron," he began, "how did you know I would pick truth?"

"Probably the same way you knew Hermione would," smiled Ron to a rather confused look from Harry. "You didn't, but you had to take the chance."

The elevator came to a halt, and they got off, Harry lost in thought.

* * *

Author's Note- _Yeah_, sorry if I made Ron too girly and whiney and emotional there … I _try_ to keep them in character. I should be done in the next couple of chapters or so (hopefully!) I'd certainly like to be done by HBP anyway…. Well, hope you enjoyed!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer- Wow, it must be nice to be J.K. Rowling ... she just gets so much praise.

Author's note- Yeah, so the whole finishing before HBP thing really didn't happen, obviously. I guess this story is now sort of an alternative to the events of book six. Oh well. I personally thought HBP was one of the best in the series so far … especially with that oh-my-God ending. I still think it could've done with a vacation, though, so I am fully intent on finishing this story. I think I might continue for a few more chapters than I originally thought. Some things in HBP have got me thinking and there's a possibility I might branch out a little … but I'm not completely sure. It'll take some brainstorming if I do. Anyway, I'm loving the reviews, all of them, and constructive criticism is always welcome. Special shout out to Laubo … your thoughts betray you, I know you love Harry Potter!

Summer '96

Chapter 9

It was clear immediately, as they entered the hotel room, that Ginny's prediction of Hermione's response to their discussion of the previous night was quite accurate. Harry had approached her in the kitchen, feeling somewhat wary, but Hermione just handed over a plate of toast and gave him a smile that held within it more support and understanding than could ever have been put into words.

It was a different story for Ron, though. Although Ginny exhibited a certain indifference (most likely resulting from her already vented feelings), Hermione would hardly even speak directly to him. The tension between the two was more than just palpable, it was suffocating. Ron seemed not to want to push the matter much, however, and so their dispute went unresolved for the moment.

The day was beginning to progress very slowly; about an hour after Harry and Ron's return, everyone, except Hermione, was to be found once more in front of the TV.

"You know," said Ginny, interrupting the babblings and rantings of some psychiatrist they were watching on channel seven, "I think You-Know-Who just needs a good psychiatrist. I mean, seriously, just someone to go up to him and say, 'Look, you had a bad childhood, get over it already.'"

Harry gazed at her for a moment, and then burst out laughing with Ron.

"Oh, come on," began Ginny in a voice dripping with sarcasm, "you don't think we could persuade him to see a shrink?"

"Highly doubtful," gasped Ron, struggling to recover himself.

Ginny merely smiled, just as Hermione entered the room. She had thus far been holed up in the bedroom for most of the morning, and was standing before them now with an unmistakable glow of excitement on her face.

"What's up?" asked Harry curiously.

"I've found something we can do today," said Hermione, clearly attempting to contain her emotion. "Erm, did anyone bring their swimsuits with them?"

Harry snorted. "What swimsuit? Like the Dursleys would ever bring me to a pool?"

Hermione turned instead to Ron and Ginny.

"Oh, uh, well we don't really swim all that much," said Ginny. "It's mainly Quidditch at our house, you know?"

Hermione's face fell ever so slightly before she said decidedly, "Well, that's alright. I'm sure they must sell them there."

"Where?" asked Ron, obviously impatient for her to get to the point.

Hermione didn't look at him, but rather spoke to the room as a whole. "We are going to Six Flags, Elitch Gardens."

The end of this statement was met with a confused silence. Harry didn't have a clue what "Six Flags Elitch Gardens," was, and nor, apparently, did Ron and Ginny.

"It's a theme park," sighed Hermione.

"Oh," spoke Harry softly, in quiet realization and relief; with a name like, "Six Flags," he'd been picturing golf. "Like with roller coasters and stuff," he explained to Ron and Ginny, who were still looking baffled.

When they continued to appear completely clueless, Hermione said, "Oh, you'll see. Actually, we should probably get going … if we want to catch the bus that is."

"The bus?" said Ginny, speaking at last. "How far away is this place, Hermione?"

"It's in Denver, the state capital, so it's about two hours away. Not exactly the Knight Bus, I know, but we'll get there."

"How do you know about this place?" asked Harry, marveling at Hermione's ability to always know everything, even in a foreign country.

"It was in some brochure I picked up in one of the souvenir shops," stated Hermione proudly. "I read that there are a lot of stores there too, so there's a possibility that they might sell swimsuits."

"And what do we need swimsuits for?" asked Ron.

"For the water park, of course," said Hermione, as if this was an absurdly stupid to ask. She turned to go, heading back toward her room. Before she reached the door, however, she called back at them from over her shoulder, "Well, are you coming?"

Harry glanced at the others, and then shrugged. They rose from the couch, and followed Hermione down the hallway to get ready.

* * *

The bus ride into Denver was long, slow, and extremely boring. Ginny and Hermione shared a seat in front of Harry and Ron, and had giggled and gossiped throughout the entire journey. Harry, however, was to be found staring out the window at the passing landscape, seated beside a snoring Ron. Hermione had told them all to bring plenty of money, so Harry had stuffed his pockets with cash, which he now regretted doing as it gave him the self-conscious feeling of appearing to have just robbed a muggle bank.

When the bus finally pulled up at their stop, Harry met it with immense relief; his legs were growing stiff from sitting so long. They stepped down onto the pavement of the sidewalk below and began walking in the direction of an expansive parking lot, leaving behind them the massive buildings of downtown Denver. As they arrived at the entrance to the park, Harry could feel the beginnings of a hot day gradually creeping up on them. Ginny fanned herself slightly with her hand while they paid for their tickets and moved through a turn stile into an open-ended hall, with small stores and restaurants on either side. They made their way through this and emerged into the park, the sun once again beating down upon them.

"Now what?" asked Ron, apparently amused at the sight of the large carousel standing directly in front of them.

Hermione shot him a look of irritation, and reached for one of the maps stacked next to an enormous sign erected nearby. "Now," she said, her eyes searching the page, "we go this way." And she broke off, leading them left down what seemed to be a miniature street lined with shops that had been designed to resemble old-fashioned homes of some sort.

The park didn't appear too crowded yet; Harry suspected that it had only opened a short while ago. Large planters, positively overflowing with petunias and other such flowers, hung outside the shops, providing a kaleidoscope of color. They were certainly beautiful, but Harry found himself flinching involuntarily as they reminded him of his aunt.

They reached the end of the "street," and a vast Ferris Wheel loomed into view, towering above them. It had at least twenty carriages, large enough to hold five or six people each, and was adorned with a circular sign that read, "Not to SEE Elitch's, is not to see Denver." Behind it, countless roller coasters snaked their way around tents, shops, and other rides, scattered throughout their field of vision.

The group gazed, slightly open-mouthed, at this sight before Ron breathed, "What the bloody hell is that?"

"A Ferris Wheel," said Hermione simply. Then, "Come on!"

Harry tore his eyes from the gigantic wheel to see Hermione beckoning them all towards it. They followed her to a maze of handrails, around which trailed a line of people all waiting to board the ride. Although the line wasn't too long, they were still stuck standing there for a while, listening to the music blaring from nearby, and yet unseen, speakers. Some song, apparently called, "The Macarena," came on, prompting Harry to mutter, "And I thought the Weird Sisters were bad…."

Harry got on first when they finally arrived at the front of the line; he pushed open the small doors on the carriage and stepped down to sit on one side where he was soon joined by Ron. Ginny twisted around slightly in her seat to gaze over the edge as the ride came to life and slowly moved them upwards, while Hermione's eyes fixed directly ahead, seemingly concentrated on the horizon as if she was frightened to look down.

As they began to gain speed, Harry too turned to see what lay below them. Hundreds of people dotted the ground, now so surprisingly far away. The surrounding rides were all active, and distant screams could be heard over the occasional rumble of coaster on track. The skyscraping buildings of downtown caught Harry's eye while they began their descent, especially one that looked curiously like a giant cash register.

They went around at least twice more, none of them talking as they all took in the panoramic view of the park. The ride ended in such a seemingly small amount of time, and they departed down a wooden ramp after exiting the carriage.

"Well," said Ginny, " I liked it. Muggles certainly have come up with interesting ideas on how to have fun."

Hermione grinned speechlessly.

"What should we do now?" Harry asked, turning to her.

"Oh, I don't know. Whatever you want, I guess," she said.

"I think we should go on that white roller coaster," said Ron.

"White roller coaster?"

"Yeah, I saw it from the Ferris wheel. It's somewhere that way," he explained, pointing off in front of them.

"Okay," said Ginny. "We might as well."

They glanced at the map, and then attempted to navigate their way through the park and its quickly swelling crowd.

"Look at all the food," said Harry, nodding towards the numerous stands surrounding them. People selling everything from pretzels to funnel cakes stood behind them, most under umbrellas to shelter themselves from the harsh sun.

"Yeah," said Ron. "You could almost come here just to eat."

After winding around to the far end of the park, they arrived at last at the entrance to a classic, wooden, white roller coaster. They followed a path underneath it that led to where the line began to get on, and were pleasantly surprised to encounter virtually no wait.

Harry sat with Hermione, his stomach squirming with an apprehensive excitement. He had never been on a roller coaster before; the Dursleys had always adamantly refused to bring him anywhere that might prove to be fun. He gazed straight ahead at the people seated in front of him. A rather pretty Indian girl, who reminded him of Parvati Patil, sat glancing warily at the track that stretched out before them.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God," Harry heard Hermione mutter as the coaster began its steady climb up the first hill. As they launched downward, some people lifted both arms into the air. After a slight attempt at this, Harry quickly stopped; it made him feel as though he were likely to be jettisoned from the ride.

They got off a few minutes later, Hermione's screams still echoing in Harry's ears, and proceeded back the way they came. Even after the constant twists and turns of the roller coaster, the group decided to immediately board a ride called, "The Sea Dragon," where Harry's stomach dropped so often, he thought he was pretty close to throwing it up. The Swings weren't too bad, though; the breeze created as they cut through the air cooled them down some at least, but The Teacups right after ended the enjoyment derived from this previous ride.

"I think I'm going to throw up," mumbled Ginny, who had become extremely pale. Harry, feeling a little nauseous himself, sat down on a bench beside her.

"You guys should just go ahead," she said, glancing up at Hermione, who had apparently enjoyed the experience immensely, at Ron, who was gazing longingly at a nearby red and blue roller coaster, and at Harry, who was watching her cautiously.

"We can't leave you alone," said Hermione.

"I'll be fine-."

"No," said Harry. "Hermione's right, none of us should be alone. I'll stay with you."

"What? No, it's alright, Harry, I can stay," said Hermione hurriedly.

"It's okay, you should go," he said, nodding towards Ron and grinning inwardly at her desperation. "I'm feeling a bit peaky too."

Hermione threw him a look of mingled anger and frustration before responding, "Fine. We'll meet in front of the Ferris wheel in an hour." She turned on her heel and began to march away. Ron gave Ginny a quick, "Feel better!" before turning to catch up with her.

"Nice," said Ginny. "Maybe they'll be able to work out their issues during the half-hour line onto some ride. Of course, they'll probably just end up annoying everyone around them."

"True," laughed Harry, "but it's better than them annoying us. And it wasn't just for them … I don't think I'll ever drink tea again."

"Know what you mean," Ginny muttered. Although obviously still not feeling her best, Harry noticed that she at least was beginning to regain some color in her face.

"You want to try walking around a bit?" asked Harry. "We could check out the gift shops, get out of the heat."

"Okay," she sighed.

They wandered in the direction they had first come, talking and, as Ginny put it, "people watching." So many interesting (to put it lightly) people passed by them, that it was impossible not to wonder about them and whatever lives they led. The two maneuvered their way around a woman with about five screaming children and came to a large souvenir shop where they decided to look at swimsuits.

Ginny came out of the dressing room after a few minutes to greet Harry, who had already picked something out and was now waiting for her to finally make a decision.

"I've officially come to the conclusion that muggles are extremely strange," she said matter of factly. "Here I am, trying to get dressed, and meanwhile, someone has taken the time to write, 'Cows kick ass,' on the back of the door."

Harry didn't say anything to this. In fact, he hardly registered what she was talking about at all. Ginny had emerged from the dressing room wearing a stunning two piece, her flaming red hair falling gracefully over her shoulders.

"What?" asked Ginny.

Harry swallowed hard. "Um, you- you look great."

"Oh, thanks." There was an awkward sort of silence before Ginny finally continued, "Well, I guess I should probably change, you know, so we can get going."

"Er, yeah," said Harry.

She went back into the dressing room, leaving Harry utterly confused. He had never thought of Ginny as anything more than a friend, and yet….

* * *

They left the shop ten minutes later, clutching their surprisingly expensive purchases and growing hungry through the welcomed absence of their nausea. Stopping off at one of the stands they had seen earlier, they each bought a hot dog and one funnel cake to share. With five minutes left until they were due to meet Ron and Hermione, they finished up and started back towards the Ferris wheel. Ron and Hermione appeared a short while after they arrived, both looking exhausted and yet strangely pleased.

"So, how was the ride?" asked Ginny.

"Let's just say that it's called the 'Mind Eraser' for a reason," groaned Hermione as she collapsed onto a bench next to her.

"I feel like I've been hit repeatedly over the head with a bludger," said Ron.

"Maybe we should just go over to the water park then," Harry suggested. "Seems like we've all had enough of the rides here."

"That sounds like a good idea," said Ginny. "Harry and I have already gotten our swimsuits … we can show Ron where to get his, and then we can all change and head over there."

"Alright," Hermione seemed to say with renewed enthusiasm at the prospect of no more roller coasters. She pulled herself up to follow Harry as he took the lead with Ron at his side.

Harry noticed that Ron kept glancing back every now and then to exchange a small smile with Hermione as she talked with Ginny, and suddenly the slightly pleased look that both had worn upon their arrival began to make sense.

"I take it you two made up?" asked Harry with a grin.

Ron seemed taken aback that Harry had noticed anything. His ears turning steadily redder, he replied, "Erm, yes. We- we worked things out."

"Glad to hear it."

* * *

Ron took about as much time deciding what to buy as his sister did, and by the time they finally left the shop, changed, and rented a locker to keep their money-filled clothes in, they had only enough time for a ride or two before they had to leave for the dinner that Hermione had arranged as a surprise. Skipping over the wave pool, which was so packed with people that it would've been impossible to do anything but stand in one place, they moved on instead to something called, 'The Lazy River,' where each person received an intertube and floated along leisurely down a winding water ride.

"I wish everyday could be like this," said Ginny, who was lying in her tube, gazing up at the cloudless sky above them.

Ron, who had been fuming ever since he had seen the swimsuit that Ginny had bought for herself, said with a touch of contempt, "What, you want to get sick on gigantic spinning teacups everyday?"

"No, Ron," Ginny sighed, "I like the fact that that's the only thing we _do_ have to think about. I like not worrying about whether I, or someone else I know, is going to die today."

Harry felt a twinge of pain at this last comment as he thought of Sirius. But then, as Ron gazed at her understandingly, as Hermione looked ahead in pensive silence, Harry realized just how right Ginny was. It was wonderful, if only for this short time, to know that his friends, at least, were safe … that everything was just normal for the moment.

They neared a waterfall, and Harry pushed Hermione's intertube beneath it so that her thoughts were abruptly interrupted as cold water cascaded over her head. After two more trips through the ride, accompanied by Hermione's desperate attempts to dunk Harry underneath the water, they decided to dry off and get ready to make their way back toward the enormous buildings downtown.

Hermione's hair was, if possible, even more frizzy and curly than normal, and they were hardly dressed for a nice dinner anywhere, but after leaving the park, they wandered over to a restaurant Hermione had found called, 'The Spaghetti Factory.' Hermione and Ron, neither of whom had had anything for lunch, devoured their meals quickly under amused glances from Harry and Ginny, and rather disapproving looks from the people sitting nearby. They each had a dessert of Neapolitan ice cream and then left an hour later after long discussions about Quidditch and classes they were going to take that year at Hogwarts (Hermione positively exhausting the topic of O.W.L. results).

On the trip back to Vail, Harry was once again to be found sitting beside a sleeping Weasley, only this time it was Ginny that lay dreaming as he gazed out of the window. Ron and Hermione sat behind them, tentatively holding hands as they talked quietly. Ginny stirred in her sleep and moved to rest her head against Harry's shoulder. He had no desire to move her away.

It was late that night when they finally arrived at the hotel. Yawning, they trudged in, Harry happily anticipating the bed that lay upstairs waiting for him. He followed Hermione through the door to their room and down the hallway, when suddenly, she came to an abrupt stop, causing him to run right into her.

"Hermione, what-?" Harry asked, but he fell silent as he gazed in the direction that Hermione was looking in with a look of terror wrought upon her face. As Ron and Ginny came to a halt behind him, Harry saw exactly 'what.'

Remus Lupin was sitting on the couch waiting for them.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer- The brilliant idea for a boy wizard who has to defeat the most powerful, evil wizard in the world is, alas, not mine. It _had_ to fall into J.K. Rowling's mind….

Author's note- Yeah, I know I haven't updated this in ages. HBP distracted me. Anyway, thanks to all reviewers! (You know, all, what, five of you?) Anyway, thank you for reviewing, it is always appreciated. Hopefully this chapter goes well; the story _should_ be completed within the next couple of chapters. Oh, and from here on out there will be some minor book six spoilers, so beware if you haven't read it yet. Of course, this meaning no offence, but if you haven't then let's just say that that's a little odd and I feel sorry for you. Cheers!

This chapter dedicated to **MariaCarmen **for spurring me to finally write it. I know it's a little short, but it's here, so thank you.

Summer '96

Chapter 10

"My mum is going to kill me," Harry heard Ron mutter almost inaudibly. Lupin still hadn't said a word so far; he simply gazed at them in expectant fury as if silently demanding an explanation.

Harry was the first to move. He edged forward slowly to face his former Professor, a nervous fear knotting in his stomach. He remembered the first and only time Lupin had ever been angry with him. Somehow, he thought, this would probably outstrip that.

Lupin looked over at the others, wordlessly beckoning them to follow. Ginny moved to stand firmly at Harry's side, as did Ron and Hermione, with accompanying nods of reassurance. Harry did not know where to begin … 'Hello,' perhaps or, 'I'm sorry?' He was spared the agony of this, however, as Lupin finally broke his silence.

"You forgot to write, Harry," he said coldly, answering the unasked question of why he was there. Harry felt his stomach drop as he realized what Lupin was referring to. For the past few weeks of summer, he'd been writing to the Order every three days or so as Moody had instructed that day at King's Cross. In all the plotting and planning for their recent excursion, however, he'd cleanly forgotten to write a letter that should have been sent a couple of days ago.

Lupin stood and paced slowly back and forth, finally stopping to face them as he began to speak once more.

"I can't say that your aunt and uncle were too pleased when I was sent to your home to see what the problem was," he said. "Apparently I should have known that you were out 'doing something useful for society.'" Harry winced as Lupin shot him a venomous glare. "By the time they practically threw me from the house, I was in utter panic. Conditions have been getting worse everyday, Dumbledore is out on a mission, and I had no idea where you were. But then, of course," he said, shifting his gaze from Harry to Ron and Hermione, both of whom seeming to melt under his stare, "I remembered that Molly had mentioned you two going to visit Fred and George for a few days.

"I've spent quite enough time around antics like those of your brothers, Ron, to know when something is up. From the minute they saw me enter their shop they knew that I had found out, and they didn't deny it when I asked them."

Ron gulped. Ginny, however, stood with a strange look of defiance on her face, as though challenging Lupin's words. She burned with a radiant sort of fury. Harry thought she looked beautiful.

"What were you thinking?" asked Lupin, interrupting this brief but blissful escape from the reality of the situation. "You could have been caught, even killed! What's more, just about everyone in the Order has been called off of their regular duties for the task of bringing you all back! And with the recent murders-."

"Murders?" said Harry, unable to contain himself as his face suddenly paled.

Lupin must have sensed his panic because he dropped his furious tone ever so slightly as he explained, "Your families are all fine. A-Amelia Bones from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was killed, presumably by Voldemort himself, and Emmeline Vance was captured and murdered by a group of Death Eaters just around the corner from the Prime Minister's office."

Harry glanced over at the others. Hermione's eyes were brimming with tears. Ginny had both hands pressed to her mouth. Ron's freckles seem to have vanished in the paleness of his complexion.

"What you four did was unbelievably selfish-."

"Selfish?" Harry was startled to see Hermione as she addressed Lupin, fiercely wiping the tears from her eyes. "Of course it was selfish. But then, we've spent the last five years of our lives being anything but selfish, haven't we? You say we could have died, but we could have died in the Ministry. Harry could have been killed the night Voldemort returned, the time he defended us against a hundred dementors, or slayed the Basilisk, or retrieved the Sorcerer's Stone."

"I understand that you've all been through a lot," Lupin began, becoming, if possible, even more frustrated, "but to leave like that in the middle of a war was just reckless."

"So it's okay to be reckless when we're saving everyone else, but not when we're doing something for ourselves, _saving_ ourselves?" asked Ron quietly. "Is that all we are, all Harry is; 'the Chosen One,' savior of the wizarding world?"

"Of course not," spat Lupin, "that's not what I'm saying. We all care for you. Do you think we automatically expect you to keep saving the day? We've tried to keep you out of these matters, but you never listen. I want you to be happy, but now is not the right time to be making trips half-way across the world without telling anyone but the two lunatics that helped you."

Ron surveyed him for a moment, seemingly deciding on how exactly to word his thoughts. Then, evidently reaching a decision, he began slowly, "Listen, the end of this year at Hogwarts was completely and utterly screwed up. Sirius died, Harry has had to deal with this damn prophecy, and the marks left by a slimy brain's tentacles of thought don't readily fade very quickly. Basically, we were all pretty scared. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering, which inevitably leads to the Dark Side. So, you see, we had to take this vacation-."

"Erm, Ron," Harry muttered, nudging his best friend, "this is kinda serious, maybe you shouldn't be quoting 'Star Wars' just now."

"Oh, er, right," said Ron as he spotted Lupin's still infuriated, and now a little confused, expression.

"Whatever," said Lupin in exasperation, "we can't talk about this now; I've got to get you all home. Hermione, we can take you to your parents' house, and Harry, you'll be staying at the Burrow for the remainder of the summer."

"Er," began Ron awkwardly, "I-Is my Mum, I mean, does she-."

"Know?" Lupin supplied. "Yeah, she knows. I convinced her to stay at home while we came to get you. I imagine she's ripping Fred and George limb from limb right about now."

Harry wasn't sure, but he thought he could see Ron shudder slightly before Ginny asked, "How are we going?"

"There's a guard waiting out front. Since none of you has passed your Apparition tests yet, you will have to be assisted as we apparate back into the country."

Even through the disappointment weighing on him from Lupin's words, Harry found himself vaguely excited. They would be apparating…. He could tell that Hermione was having a hard time containing her curiosity as well, though Lupin seemed to have noticed nothing. His eyes betrayed his weariness, which was only to be highlighted by the streaks of grey in his light brown hair and the lines etched into his young face.

Harry was suddenly seized by a spasm of guilt. While he did believe that their trip was certainly justified in a way, he also remembered Lupin's expression in the Department of Mysteries in the moments following Sirius' death. It was a look of such despair and loss. He, Harry, had caused him to worry, to even fear for his life. He needed to say _something_.

"Lupin, I-."

"Don't, Harry, not now," Lupin interrupted with a sigh. "Just get your stuff together; I'll wait by the door."


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer- Who would I be kidding? Of course it's not mine.

Author's note- And here it is, what, two years later? And that's why we like one-shots. If there's anyone at all still reading, congratulations, you reached the end.

Summer '96

Chapter 11

Throughout the years that Harry had known the Weasley family, the Burrow had always represented many things to him. It was home. It was family. It was love. Never before had it presented him with fear. Maybe it was the very chill that had come to surround the place in their absence – the mist that clouded the structure, casting it into an eerie gloom. Or perhaps it was the anticipation of being lectured by Mrs. Weasley and several other Order members that caused Harry to shiver as he gazed at the house. He blinked a couple of times, trying to regain his composure after the rather uncomfortable experience of side-along apparition. Feeling a gentle prod from Tonks behind him, he started forward to follow Ron and Ginny to their home.

The air inside the Burrow was too tense to be breathable. The Order members that had accompanied them in took seats around the kitchen table, leaving the three of them to stand uncomfortably at the center of attention. Many of the witches and wizards around the room took their turn to speak, to chastise them for their reckless and irresponsible behavior, but none quite as much so as Mrs. Weasley. With the rage born of a worried mother, she drilled into each of them, reducing herself to tears of relief mingled with disappointment. Harry hardly heard a word of any of it. He was truly sorry for the worry he had caused everyone, and he hated that Mrs. Weasley was placed in such a terrible situation, but he simply couldn't concentrate on the countless admonitions thrown his way when one still rang throughout his memory.

He wasn't able to take his eyes off of Lupin, who had remained silent since their arrival and who was now staring resolutely at the table before him.

Harry wanted to say something to apologize, to make Lupin understand. It was the first time he really realized that the man cared about him enough to resent him for making him worry. Harry was glad that he had done what he had done, but he also understood that such a reckless action was selfish and unfair to someone who had also just suffered a great loss. He had done exactly what Sirius had done, exactly what he had told Sirius not to do. He could hardly blame Lupin for being angry.

It didn't look like he was going to be able to approach the other man now, however. Mr. Weasley was ushering them toward the stairs, and Harry caught snatches of conversation involving words like "sleep" and "tomorrow" and "punishment." He took one last glance at Lupin, then went upstairs to bed.

* * *

On the day of his sixteenth birthday, Harry Potter was once again to be found cleaning. Everyday since their return from the United States, Mrs. Weasley had set Ron, Ginny, and Harry a new chore to do around the house. As further punishment, they were also expected to aid any Order members that happened to pass through, which usually meant organizing paperwork for their _actual_ jobs. The three had done everything from sift through piles of Professor McGonagall's course work to help Kingsley Shacklebolt understand common muggle terminology for his new position at the Prime Minister's office. And still they had not seen Lupin.

"Who the hell came up with the idea for a feather duster?" Ron burst out suddenly from the other side of the living room. "You try to clean with the bloody thing and all it does is shed everywhere. What's the point?"

"Hey, it's better than cleaning out Grimmauld Place," said Ginny, her face reflected in the antique mirror she was polishing. "At least nothing at our house tries to murder you when you pick it up."

Harry looked over at her from his position by the window and caught her eye in the mirror. She grinned and looked away.

"I wonder if Hermione is being forced to do manual labor," Ron grumbled sullenly.

"Her parents probably just confiscated all of her books," Harry absentmindedly responded, "that'd be enough punishment for a lifetime."

"All they'd have to do is take away one," corrected Ginny with a laugh, which was quickly stifled with the arrival of her mother.

Mrs. Weasley had been extremely on-edge lately, carrying around the famed Weasley clock and making it her personal goal to know where everyone was during all hours of the day. It was the desire of none of them to make her angrier than she already was. "Looks good," she commented imperiously, nodding at the room as a whole. "You lot can stop for today. You should get washed up and come down to help out for dinner – we have several guests coming after all."

"Guests?" asked Ginny.

"Well yes, of course." And with this she broke into the first smile Harry had seen her wear in days. "It's Harry's birthday. We wouldn't forget."

The three of them exchanged looks of surprise as the older woman exited the room, and then they moved as one to go get ready.

Several hours, three courses, and many 'happy birthdays' later, Harry sat, stuffed, at the Weasleys' kitchen table. Despite everything that had happened, despite the war, the deaths, the utter hatred and confusion surrounding his life, for this one moment Harry found that he was happy. He was away from his life as 'the Chosen One,' the hero that everyone expected so much of. In this moment, he was with his friends, the only family he had ever known, and ages away from anything else. Call it … a vacation.

Lupin entered just as Ron was regaling the events of their trip for two eager twins, one television-curious father, one disapproving mother, and many other intrigued guests. He went unnoticed by most, but caught Harry's eye from across the room. Putting down the card that he had received from Hermione, Harry exchanged a nod with Mrs. Weasley and then followed Lupin outside and into the garden.

The night was brisk – too cool for a natural July evening. Images of dementors entered Harry's mind and he shook involuntarily, as if the thought itself could drop the temperature even further. He watched Lupin for a moment as the man searched for the words he wanted to say. And then he decided he was taking too long.

"Look Remus," he began almost pleadingly, "I wanted to apologize for, well, for everyth– "

But Lupin stopped him mid-sentence. "Harry, I … I know you're sorry," he said. "One of those similarities you share with your father – a knack for looking guilty when genuinely so." He grinned slightly. "Lily could spot it a mile off. I know you're sorry. I know you understand, and I appreciate that." Harry waited while Lupin deliberated what to say next. "And … I'm sorry for not understanding when I should have," he said. "I know what it's like to want freedom from your life, from who you are. It's just, I was so scared. I'm the only one left, Harry. They were the reason I was never alone." He looked up sadly. "You're James' son, Sirius' godson. I don't want to lose you."

The two looked at each other, both arriving at the same sense of understanding. Then Lupin started forward suddenly and held out his arm for Harry to take. "Come on," he said, "I want to show you something."

Harry grabbed the man's arm and braced himself from the suffocating experience of apparition. It was barely moments before the peony bushes of Mrs. Weasley's garden disappeared and he found himself standing on the dark street of a place he had had no intention of ever seeing again. Number 12 Grimmauld Place emerged rapidly between 11 and 13, expanding the scenealmost imperceptibly. Harry just stared at it.

"I don't want to go in there," he muttered quietly to Lupin.

"I never do either. But there's something you need to see – something he wanted you to have."

Lupin broke away from him and made his way to the front door. Against his better judgement, Harry followed.

Although the house was still being used as headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, it was presently empty, the rooms and hallways echoing with silence. Ignoring the welling feeling of loss, anger, and resentment, Harry continued through the stale darkness and up the stairs after Lupin.

They soon arrived at a door on the second level that Harry could not remember having seen before. This confused him for a moment before he realized that the house of the Blacks hid many things. Lupin stopped abruptly and turned to face him.

"Sirius left you everything," the older man began, "this house, his money – everything. I know that means nothing to you, because I know that you'd rather have him than a pile of gold in a vault and a dusty house that he never loved. But he also left you this."

He turned the knob to the door behind him and stepped back to allow Harry to enter. At first Harry saw nothing, just the cloud of blackness that surrounded everything else in the wretched building. And then a shape began to emerge from the shadows, defining itself into a sleek, shining motorbike. It was as if all the air had been stolen from his lungs. Harry moved toward the enormous machine, and a flashback of a dream he'd once had entered into his mind's eye. A memory of floating above the world, not yet knowing anything, and seeing nothing but stars - billions of stars.

"It's been hidden for years," said Lupin quietly, as if respecting the dead. "Hagrid returned it to Dumbledore after, well…." He sighed. "I'm not aware of the specifics, but eventually it wound up here. I think Sirius thought it might come in handy. You can leave it here of course, until you need it."

Harry didn't know what to say, so all he said was, "Thanks."

Lupin smiled. "He loved this damn bike. It was a part who he was – it was his escape. Just promise me you won't fly it off to another country, okay? And if you ever do, don't let Hermione pick the destination. New York is really a lot more interesting."

"Alright," Harry laughed. "I promise." He ran one hand along the bike's seat, dreaming of the end of the last war, and the end of this one.

"Well, Molly's probably getting pretty worried now. I suppose we should head back. After all, we wouldn't want you to have to clean anymore than you already do. I hear Mad-Eye is thinking of bringing over his traveling cloaks for a quick wash…."

"I'll be on my guard, thanks," said Harry with a smile.

They began to move toward the door, but something in the corner caught Harry's attention. He reached down to pick it up and found it to be a dusty locket he remembered as one of the many items that they had tried to throw away in their attempts to clean Grimmauld Place last year. Kreacher must have dropped it in here…. Engraved with the letter 'S,' the locket shown dully within his fingers. Without knowing exactly why, he pocketed it.

Lupin spoke from the door and he jumped slightly. "You coming?"

"Yeah, sorry." Taking one last look at his godfather's bike, he turned to leave.

Everything had changed, Harry reflected as he stood outside with Lupin and watched the house shrink out of sight once more. But everything had always been changing. Voldemort was back, they were in a war, Sirius was gone. He simply had to find a way to change things for the better. Until then, he was here, he was living. He had his friends, his family, and he had the memory of one excellent summer. And things would always change.

He grasped Lupin's arm, and with a small pop, they were gone.

The end.

Author's note- Okay, so, if I'm not speaking to a theater full of empty seats, I would absolutely love to hear anyone's views. I can't say sorry enough for the long wait, but I promised I would finish, and I did. Thanks.


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